Saturday, August 16, 2014

You be the judge....in Michoacan alone there has been an increase of 2 to 3 times in violent crimes..while it is true the overwelming majority of Mexico is safe, it is imperative to know, not only the crime climate of a destination, but the history. Historical conflict and crime is a good indicator. Most places in Mexico are as safe or safer than the U.S.

Mexico's government, questioned the travel alert issued by the United States in which it cites warnings of the risk of violence prevailing in 19 states. Mexico's position is that the information must be contextualized and detailed to be useful to US countrymen.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) pointed out that the security strategy of President Enrique Peña Nieto has achieved "impressive results", as reflected in the reduction of 22 percent in the number of incidents of kidnapping, compared to last year .

On Friday, the State Department of the United States revised its warning to American citizens traveling to Aguascalientes, Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Durango, Mexico State, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Zacatecas.

However, the Mexican Foreign Ministry insists that the results of the security strategy have already had a positive impact both on trust and the welfare of foreigners visiting the country.

He stressed that the warning itself recognizes that Mexico is the most visited international destination for American citizens, and even pointed out that the figure of 20 million tourists in 2013 was exceeded.

The State Department explained that replaced the travel warning to Mexico issued on 9 January last, because American citizens have been the target of crimes including murder, kidnapping, carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon on several entities.

He said there were 71 Americans killed in Mexico in 2012 and in 2013 the number increased to 81.

However, he acknowledged the work of President Enrique Peña "has engaged in a broad effort to counter the organized criminal groups engaged in drug trafficking and other illegal activities."

Although last Tuesday, Interior Minister, Miguel Angel Osorio Chong, headed the Regional Centre Zone Safety Meeting. He reported that this area was intentional homicides fell 32 percent during the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2013. Chong is the only source citing a decrease.

However, the State Department of the United States reported in its warning that the number of kidnappings in Mexico "appears to be increasing," citing published by the Ministry of the Interior statistics, in which he noted that in 2013 the kidnappings throughout the country increased 20 percent.

"The states with the highest number of kidnappings were Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Michoacán, State of Mexico and Morelos. In addition, a study widely reported by the agency responsible for national statistics (INEGI), Mexico suffered an estimated 105 thousand 682 kidnappings in 2012; only 317 thousand were reported to the police and even that has been implicated in some chaos. "

Below is, in part, the warning from the state department:

The number of kidnappings throughout Mexico is of particular concern and appears to be on the rise. According to statistics published by the Mexican Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB), in 2013 kidnappings nationwide increased 20 percent over the previous year. While kidnappings can occur anywhere, according to SEGOB, during this timeframe, the states with the highest numbers of kidnappings were Tamaulipas, Guerrero, Michoacán, Estado de Mexico, and Morelos.

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Additionally, according to a widely publicized study by the agency responsible for national statistics (INEGI, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography), Mexico suffered an estimated 105,682 kidnappings in 2012; only 1,317 were reported to the police. Police have been implicated in some of these incidents. Both local and expatriate communities have been victimized. Nearly 70 kidnappings of U.S. citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico between January and June of 2014.

U.S. citizens are encouraged to lower their personal profiles and to avoid displaying indicators of wealth such as expensive or expensive-looking jewelry, watches, or cameras. U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain awareness of their surroundings and avoid situations in which they may be isolated or stand out as potential victims.

Kidnappings in Mexico have included traditional, "express," and "virtual" kidnappings. Victims of traditional kidnappings are physically abducted and held captive until a ransom is paid for release. "Express" kidnappings are those in which a victim is abducted for a short time and forced to withdraw money, usually from an ATM, then released.

A "virtual" kidnapping is an extortion-by-deception scheme wherein a victim is contacted by phone and convinced to isolate themselves from family and friends until a ransom is paid. The victim is coerced (by threat of violence) to remain isolated and to provide phone numbers for the victim's family or loved ones. The victim's family is then contacted and a ransom for the "kidnapped" extracted. Recently, some travelers to Mexico staying at hotels as guests have been targets of such "virtual" kidnapping schemes.

Of particular safety concern are casinos, sports books, or other gambling establishments and adult entertainment establishments. U.S. government personnel are specifically prohibited from patronizing these establishments in the states of Coahuila, Durango, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas.

Carjacking and highway robbery are serious problems in many parts of the border region, and U.S. citizens have been murdered in such incidents. Most victims who complied with carjackers' demands have reported that they were not physically harmed. Carjackers have shot at vehicles that have attempted to flee. Incidents have occurred during the day and at night, and carjackers have used a variety of techniques, including roadblocks, bumping/moving vehicles to force them to stop, and running vehicles off the road at high speeds.

There are indications that criminals target newer and larger vehicles, especially dark-colored SUVs. However, even drivers of old sedans and buses coming from the United States have been targeted. While violent incidents can occur anywhere and at any time, they most frequently occur at night and on isolated roads. To reduce risk when traveling by road, we strongly urge you to travel between cities throughout Mexico only during daylight hours, to avoid isolated roads, and to use toll roads ("cuotas") whenever possible.

66 comments:

Fuck mexico corrupted ass cops tried to kidnap me in a alley last night no lie had to give them money as soon as they opened they're patrol car I ran away got a taxi crossed the border never going back if they're getting down like that

It was in tijuana just walking by an alley and two cops were busting a white guy forced me to come to them they let the white guy go and took me deeper into the alley in the back of their car probally saved the white guys life

@5:49Going mexico is not a death sentence. I am more scared of the system in the us than I am in Mexico. Cops in tj see people like the guy who "almost" got kidnapped as a meal ticket. "Look at these gueros, coming here spending their money on booze and hookers" I don't mind paying them off. I just ask them to not take it all so I can get a few lap dances and a couple drinks :-)

These statistics are skewed. Its says kidnapping is down 22% from last year. Just give it a few months an the government will say they accidentally forgot to put a 0 on the end of a number here or there. "honest mistake" they'll say, if they even do say something... Just like the 300 they forgot to mention in Veracuz alittle while back. Its a joke. All the good statistician's an accountants are working for the cartels. Nobody in the govt. knows how to count except for all the money they steal from the people. -Nutcase

Between Chihuahua City and Delicias, there have been numerous reported stops by an armed group of men. Also, two old people and their son got stopped by police and the police took their a computer and all their money. Another stopped a pickup truck about 15 minutes out of the la puerta de Chihuahua and stole the truck, money, wallets, phones, and all the stuff they had in their truck, this was at night. One guy was wearing like a cowboy shirt with squares, jeans, and a cap. To me sounds are the police officers, either federals or local. Just by reading the newspaper websites, there have been several armed robberies. Since there are no more military check points, and the only ones supposedly protecting are the federales del camino. Warning to all people that want to go thru Chihuahua city thru Meaoqui and Delcias, be careful there armed robbers protected by police.

@Chivis. My signature on the Forum is "Words are powerful weapons, be careful how you use them".

The problem is that people don't understand what Osario Chong and the other stooges mean when they say "Mexico is secure".

They mean that the government (PRI) is secure in its rule (because they are rapidly silencing, by one means or another, all those that oppose PRI. They don't mean that the Mexican people are secure and safe from violence or crime, just that the government is secure..

Just spent 6 weeks with my wife in about 12 different Mexican cities, all of which are supposedly in danger areas, and the worst that happened is that a 4 y/o brat saw me going to sit down 2 seats down from her mama, so she quickly slid into the seat before I could lay my butt down. Mexico is certainly very militarized, but then again, so is the US these days.

The 4 year old brat was a halcon! By letting you go to post enticements, they will get many more potential victims to pick from. Mexico can be like Iraq or Afghanistan in that all is quiet and uneventful until it happens to you. Ororio Chong statements mean that the opposite is true.

Show of force with military and federals in Tamalipas are a more like a show of we can't do shit! Just showing up to make things look good for the politicos.Mexico always addresses problems with dramatic dog and pony show protecting their political corruption. Their authorities have the mentality of a 12 year old kid and can only intimidate the innocent and extort them.

Lol I will take my chances in chi-town, Detroit or the ATL, than step another foot in Cidade Juarez...you must have no idea what you are talking about. Bet you haven't even visited any of the US places you mentioned.

Let me give you some stats so you can understand. Juarez-population of 1.3 million. Chicago-population of 4 million. Juarez- in 2011 had 2086 murders. Chicago- in 2011 had 431 murders. Chicago is three times bigger than Juarez but Juarez had three times more murders.

@ 2:12 P.M., Wikipedia has failed you. Juarez metro area has a low population estimate due to limits of size. The entire Juarez metro-plex including the colonias had over three million ppl. twenty years ago. It has undoubtably grown since then. Subtract a few hundred thousand who have been murdered and another few thou. who use their temporary (shopping) visas to buy homes and live in El Paso and the number will still be over 3 mil. The unregulated growth of Juarez leads to a tangle of streets with no names over ungraded hills and people who are not represented on any census or register. Let wikipedia sort that out!

I'm sure Wikipedia did fail me because the numbers were probably under reported. If the Mexican government says 2000 were murdered they really mean 5000. The point to my comment is that Chicago doesn't hold a candle to Juarez when it comes to murders. It doesn't matter what the population is in Juarez. What does matter is a whole lot of people are being killed for no reason. People like you deflect from the real issues and place blame elsewhere. So all you US haters who say the murder rate is worse in the US think again and go back to school. Educate yourself so you don't look like fool when you make asinine comments on BB.

Laughing @ the people trying their best to compare crime in the US to that of Mx. Um, no. Not even on the same page. Mx is simply lawless and there's no other way to say it. 3rd world lawless to boot. Sad sad situation.

US citizens shouldn't go there and God protect the other Latinos trying to make it through to the US.

It's amazing to see the comments of readers saying "Chicago and Detroit are just as bad". I have never heard of a gun battle lasting 4 hours in Chicago in broad daylight. I have never heard of 400 citizens being rounded up by gang members and killed in Detroit. And the Detroit police department acting like it never happened.

Dear El Presidente' The fact that the media refuses (more out of understandable fear then dereliction of duty) to report on the kidnappings and even the police in once dreamy Valle de Bravo can be quoted as saying, 'It is a waste of time to even fill out the forms to report a kidnapping," does not equate to a 'safer' Mexico.**President Enrique Peña Nieto has achieved "impressive results", as reflected in the reduction of 22 percent in the number of incidents of kidnapping, compared to last year .**Are Obama & Nieto playing golf together willfully ignorant to the facts that both countries are being ground into shells of their former selves?

I could care less if they paved the roads with beautiful flowers and offered me the largest house there. I will never go there. How can Mexico's government offer any advice on travel when it can't even sort out its own corrupt government officials? The amount of people killed there in the past years, many of which are not documented, is outrageous. My suggestions is the safest place to travel is ABOVE THE BORDER! Of course American citizens should travel there, yet the people who were born there don't even want to stay. Whatever.

--in the US people have a lot more to lose if they become criminals, even a minimum wage earner is better off free...--in mexico, people don't have as much to lose, or have nothing to lose...that is the difference, all the money produced by mexican enterprises goes out of the country, ALL OF IT, you are very lucky if you have a job and will be making more money next week, that is why mexico exports taqueros and drugs, not much else is left there...--even the powerful in the US don't want to lose what little they have, i proposed to one, once, that i don't have much to lose if he keeps fucking around with me, and i was gonna fuck him up if he keeps it up, no more problem for twenty years...--there is nothing more valuable than finding the root cause of most of the problems, instead of firefighting every little criminal incident, the institutional corruption of el PRI would be one example...

--america is the only country in western civilization that has gone from barbarism into decadence without achieving any civilization whatsoever...--canada could have had french cooking, english culture and american technology, but ended with french technology, english cooking and american culture...--mexico imports corn for its people, chinese and american corn that pigs and cows refuse to eat, that is free trade policy, the mexican land is needed to plant coca, coffee, amapola, meth and krocodil...--things are so bad that peña nieto's ass get assaulted 50% more even if he doesn't leave el palacio nacional or los pinos ...

ANY man in the U.S who feels that gangs, violence and drugs have made him feel unsafe - - GO TO MEXICO and live. All the fatalities of car accidents, suicides, homicides, cancer, heart attacks, and natural causes here in the US - does not even pale in comparison to the deaths caused by the Narcos in the last 10 years. The atrocities that occur in Mexico are so incredulous --it is hard for a normal society to believe it is REALLY happening, much less grasp the idea that constant violence perpetrated by and on its own people- is somehow, normal. I am a native of Arizona and see the effects of our porous border. The other 47 states that do not border Mexico have no idea what we deal with here. I am not opposed to them wanting a better life here – but the reality is – all the money they earn in our economy is sent back to MEXICO via Western Union, to support their Mexican families, they litter and throw trash around – because they are just “visiting” with the attitude of somebody who rents but does not own. They take no pride in the appearance of their house or neighborhood, they refuse to learn the language and that is because they burden our schools with their children who translate for them instead. The welfare system is dragging as well – our tax money is going to support families and children who have never paid into the system to begin with. Many Mexican men have a wife and children here to support and a wife and children there in Mexico – only the U.S. family is being supported by taxpayers – NOT MEXICAN FATHERS. Mexico has turned its back on itself. Violence is so unbelievable that its easy to turn and look the other way. I think the Mexican government should dissolved completely, and all people holding office – released from their positions. A SERIOUS effort of Proper Vetting of elected officials, police officers and federal employees must be made. How can the malady be cured by only a band aid – when the illness impacts the whole body?

militarized police will fix you up n a jiffy bitch, yeaahh!--ask them in ferguson co, mo. how being militarized gun toting cops has worked out for them...or in ukrainia, iraq, etc, militarized can only work until the people say enough!--even jihadistas wooly heads will not take popo anymore, not from infidels anyway, they'd rather believe and follow their illiterate religious fanatic imams to their pools of shit than american exceptionalism, so where is the failure?

1:25 do you mean to mean that sheriff arpaio is an incompetent asshole? that all his and his peers' years of sacrifices on behalf of the arizona state have been for nothing and they keep being raped by a bunch of illegal aliens without weapons?--tell you what, they don't care, as long as their supply of free labor for their prison industries keeps getting refreshed all the time, they don't care, but i care man, i'm sorry about your wife, your mother and your sisters, to have ended with a bunch of mexican husbands, who were married back in mexico already, and have a bunch of kids to support until they can come over and immigrate into the US, to help the house economy...

Lot of xenophobia and ignorant posts. My father was out in Mexico for a month. In a zero-tourist area out in Guerrero. He heard of violent activity. People blow things out of proportion. If you choose to go to Mexico just do it but be safe like anywhere else. And if you don't want to go. Then just be quiet and stay at home. What's the big deal?!

mexico would not be so bad in spite of the drug trafficking and kidnapping and extortions, it would not even exist, if it wasn't for the worst criminals in the world, the heirs of the CIA sponsored DFS, the judicial police, the federal police, the corrupt military, etc etc etc who extort the narcs or their hawks into pennilessness, anabel hernandez explains very clearly who is who of the corrupt mexican police, their crimes, and their sicarios, as do: La Hermandad, about the corrupt DF police all over mexico...

I am a black female married to a Mexican-American. We have been trying to find my husband's father for the past 4 years. We have heard 2 different stories. One said he died from the flu and another said he was killed by the cartel. His father is originally from Durango and supposedly went back to spend time with his children there, but no one has heard from him in years. I asked my husband about traveling to Durango to look for him, but my husband said it is too dangerous especially if his dad was involved with the cartel. My husband has not seen his father in years and is really wanting to get in touch with him again. Do any of you know how we would find out if his father is ok?

I think your husband wrote about this to BB. Or maybe it was a second person looking for their dad or info.

gather all the personal information you know about the man. and you can either go to Dgo city, or Mexico City to access public information records. you can google as well, although not as successful. Use spanish words, and google city name and killed to see if something comes up.

lastly, there are websites to find information about people, that you pay a fee, just like us.

i received your comment. I would either go to dgo..or hire a atty for limited research. the best firm I know, and prob best out of DF is Baker and Mckenzie. I have had no problem accessing pay sites. it will be public info as to why the city sold the home. It may be a drug confiscated home, or abandon. not sure. but keep it simple, just to find out about the father and his death, and where his remains are.

you are welcome. good luck to you you can write if you have a question, chivis.martinez@hushmail.com.

In general I don't get involved with cases like this, they are difficult and time consuming. but the safest way is hiring an atty, they have sources that can dig around. BUT, there are way more bad than good atty in Mx, and love to prey on people. be careful...paz